The Miracle
by Sarah Charlotte
Summary: Crazy things happen when a new girl befriends Shawn, Angela, Cory, and Topanga -- things that will alter most of their lives forever. Please R/R!
1. The Turquoise Convertible

Sometimes it's strange how things can happen. It's even stranger how things happen and they aren't linked at all, until you get deep down into them and research them a lot. Christmas was approaching fast. Three years had gone by since Eric, Cory, Topanga, and Shawn had moved to New York. They'd kept in touch with their Philadelphia friends but as time went by, the letters and calls and e- mails became fewer and farther apart until suddenly they disappeared. They didn't need each other anymore; they had their own lives. But the strangest things that happened that one fateful day in December 2003, things that didn't make any sense whatsoever if I told you they related to each other. But I'm going to tell you them anyway, and assume that you'll understand what I'm talking about and that sooner or later, these three events will be linked together like a chain. At 6:00 AM, Mrs. Topanga Matthews got up and went to work, driving in her silver BMW. At 3:00 PM, Ms. Morgan Mendoza drove into the city in her turquoise convertible and went into Vista View Apartments. At 8:00 PM, Mr. Cory Matthews received a phone call from his best friend, Mr. Shawn Hunter that apparently couldn't wait. No relation at all, one would say. In fact, if I told them they related to each other, you would probably tell me "Girl, please". But believe it or not, these things relate to each other very closely. They all link together in the center, like a hub of a wheel. The hub of this wheel is true love, or some might argue this point and say Vista View Apartments. Fixed points these things are, and best left undisturbed, because without them, nothing holds together. But sometimes people find this out too late.  
  
The alarm rang at exactly 5:00. Mrs. Topanga Matthews woke up to the sound of her favorite radio show. It took her an hour to get ready for work, but in the end it was worth it. She headed off to her internship job. Topanga's cell phone rang at exactly 7:44. Topanga answered it. "Hey, Topanga!" a voice said. "Excuse me, do I know you?" Topanga asked like she was trained to, in case this sort of thing ever were to happen. "It's me, Angela. You gotta remember me!" the voice said. Topanga held in her scream. "Hi, Angela! You're lucky; it's almost my coffee break." The clock moved to 7:45, and Topanga clocked out, still on her cell phone. Angela and Topanga talked for two hours, and if you had been watching, you would have wondered who she was talking to that was so important. Angela and Topanga reminisced and had a great time, even though they hadn't seen each other in awhile. "So are you back in Philadelphia?" Topanga asked. "Yeah, Europe was great though I can't be away from home. I just didn't know Shawn was going with you guys! I would have gone too!" Angela said. "Is he coming back?" "I don't know," Topanga answered truthfully. "I hope when the internship is over we can move back, but I don't think Cory will want to. He's very sensitive. He doesn't like change." "Girl, please." Angela said logically. "Cory would love to go back to Philadelphia. Where you guys live and where you belong! You don't belong in New York! The rats will eat you! Topanga laughed. "Thanks for your concern, Angela, but I think I'm safe from the rats. Vista View Apartments is a very nice place to live." "Vista View?" Angela asked. Suddenly her voice sounded strange. "Yeah, why?" Topanga asked, totally oblivious to Angela's attitude change. "Do you know someone named.mmm.Mendoza?" Angela asked. "No, I don't remember anyone named Mendoza, and we know most of the people in our building. Why?" Topanga asked. "Oh, nothing. Hm, look at the time! I have to go. Nice talking to you, I'll call you later, okay?" And without even saying bye, Angela hung up. Topanga was a little suspicious, but she didn't think anything was wrong. Angela was her best friend, if there was a problem with this Mendoza person, Angela would have said something. She was probably just looking for an old friend or something. Still, Topanga couldn't help but be worried. Mendoza? Did that mean something? As she got back to her office, she noticed a turquoise convertible. "That's odd," Topanga said to herself. "A turquoise convertible?" She thought nothing of the fact it went around in circles three times.  
  
At three pm, Morgan Mendoza walked into Vista View Apartments. She put her car keys back in her pocket and headed to the front desk. "Hi, I'm Morgan Mendoza, I just bought an apartment here. I believe its apartment 3B?" "Oh yeah," the receptionist said. "Your late. You were supposed to be here at 2:50." "It's only ten minutes," Morgan said. "Besides, I bought this apartment. I can be here when I want. Where's my key?" The receptionist forked over the key. "Oh by the way, you'll be next to a just-married couple. I believe the last name is Matthews or somethin'. You three might get along." "Well, thank you," Morgan said. She was polite, but she was also a little bit on the wild side. She headed up to her apartment. It was right next to 2B, but then again, that was no surprise. It would have been 2B or 3A, depending on how Vista View did its numbering system. She unlocked the apartment door. It was a mess - at first glance. Afterwards, it was really nice. Her friends had obviously come in here and furnished it. Except for the dust, they must've forgotten about the dust. But now her friends were gone. "Gone in the stupid car wreck that changed my entire life," Morgan thought. "Hi, you must be the new one," a voice behind her said. "What about the car wreck?" "Oh, I'm sorry, was that out loud?" Morgan said, turning around. As she did so it felt like her entire life was going to be different. But - what was that supposed to mean? "Well, yeah, kind of. But that's okay; everyone talks to themselves once in awhile. What's your name?" He asked. "Hi, I'm Nancy or something. Oh, no, Morgan. Morgan Mendoza. She said, shaking his hand. "Okay, Nancy or Morgan Morgan Mendoza. I'm Cory Matthews." "You can let go of my hand now," she told him. "Oh," he said, obviously embarrassed. "Sorry." "It's okay," she said, "lots of guys do that. So.you live in 2B?" she asked. "Uh, yeah. You live here?" "Yeah, I do. Um, so, what do you do? For, like, work?" "I'm in Telemarketing. You?" "Well, I sorta applied for an internship in fashion, for the clothing line Veritaz." She said. "Oh, my wife loves that line," Cory remarked. "Oh, does she?" They laughed dryly and then it died down. "So, then they decided the things I designed were really good, so now I'm a fashion designer for Veritaz. Uh, I'm the youngest one they've ever had." "Really? How old are you?" he asked. "Twenty-two," she replied. "Me too!" he said. "That's cool," she tried to make some kind of conversation. "So, I guess I'll see you around, huh?" "Probably not, I mean I'm really new here and I don't know very much about New York. I grew up in Philadelphia." "So did I! That's really neat! Did you go to Pennbrook?" "Yeah, but before that, John Adams High." "Me too! That is so cool! It's like a small world, isn't it." "Guess so. Um, do you know where the local coffee place is?" She asked. She was a lover of coffee, so it was only obvious that she was asking that. "Yeah, it's - what the heck, I'll take you there anyway." He smiled and she thanked him and they headed to the local coffee shop. If you had been watching, you would have thought they made a cute couple, because they did. You might have wondered if they were married yet and you would certainly not have thought that they had just met. They headed to the Digital Hang-Out, the coolest place for people to go when they wanted coffee. "I'd love a double latté with skim milk," Morgan told the cashier. "Yeah, I'll have the same thing," Cory agreed. She smiled at him again. She had the smile that would melt you faster than ice on a 100 degrees day. Morgan got out her wallet, but Cory pulled out a twenty faster. "I'll pay," he told her. She put it back. "Okay, thank you," and smiled at him again. She thanked the cashier and smiled at both of them, and they headed for a seat. They talked for only three hours, but if you had been watching you would have wondered when they would stop. She told him everything about her - about how she loved her turquoise convertible, about how she got blue streaks in her hair when she was in high school and how Mr. Feeny hated it, about how she told her parents she wanted to go to Paris and paint for a year and they let her, and about how she had the biggest crush on Shawn Hunter from seventh grade to ninth grade. And then it got personal. They talked about friends and Morgan poured out her soul about how she didn't have any. Then about how she was anorexic for two years and never got caught and never had to go to the hospital. By the time they finished, Cory felt like he had fallen in love with Topanga all over again. It was disappointing to him when they finally had to leave. Well, at least he'd see her tomorrow. But that scared him - he thought he loved Topanga, but it felt like he was in love with Morgan. The same girl who seemed to struggle, the same girl who seemed so self-confident, he felt like he loved. But was it possible to love two girls at once?  
  
At 8:00, thirty seconds into the minute, the phone rang. Topanga had gone to go get milk because they were all out of it -- that and pretty much anything that would keep them alive. It was Shawn. "Hey, Cor! Have you met that cute new girl on the block? Her name's Morgan Mendoza. She's sooo hot!" Shawn commented. "Yeah, I have. I bought her coffee." Cory said like it was an amazing thing. To anyone else, it wasn't, but to Shawn it was. "You animal! You're married!" Shawn remarked. "Yes, but - it doesn't mean I can't be a friendly neighbor." "Should I ask her out?" Shawn asked. "Umm." Cory's first reaction was heck no! I saw her first, she's mine! But that scared him even more. He wasn't in love with her - was he? That stupid little voice in the back of his head was being really annoying. "Sure, why not?" Cory asked. "Well, I just don't know what she'll say. Besides, I don't even have Angela so it's not like I'm not doing anyone a favor." If you had been listening to Cory's voices in the back of his head, you would have thought he's a dirty rotten no-good cheater! Of course, then again, he was in love with Topanga, not Morgan who he hardly knew anything about. But that wasn't true. He knew a lot about her. She'd told him an awful lot over a three-hour coffee. He was in love with Topanga and that's it. Wasn't he? 


	2. The Fateful Phone Call

Chapter 2 As you can tell, the fixed points have started joining together very, very fast. The only person in New York that hasn't yet met Morgan is Topanga. Eric adores her, Cory's having mixed feelings about her and Shawn is obviously in love with her. At 6:00 PM the next day, Shawn arrived at Morgan's apartment. "Hi," she said when she opened the door. "Are you Shawn Hunter?" "Yeah, yeah I am," he said. "Oh. Well, Cory's told me a lot about you. I went to your high school and your college. I used to have a crush on you from seventh to ninth grade." "Well I hope that didn't go away because you might need that," Shawn said. "Huh?" Morgan asked. She smiled, but she was confused. "I wanted to know, since you're new, if you'd like to join me for dinner tonight. I know it's short notice, but - then again, what the heck? If you want something, ask for it." "That's what I always said," Morgan said smiling. "Okay, I'll try you. After all, who knows what New York guys could be like?" "Good. Um, I'll be back in an hour, if that's okay with you." "Sure, it's okay. I'll need time to get ready. I can do it in an hour. See you then!" she said, smiling. She closed the door. Shawn wasn't her first choice, but he was fairly close. She put on her turquoise dress and turquoise heels, and put on her makeup (which wasn't turquoise). She had to admit to herself, she looked nice - just not herself. She preferred jeans and a t-shirt and her leather jacket, but then again, she couldn't wear that on a date. Not a first date that is. Shawn was there at 7:00 exactly. "Promptness," Morgan noted. "I like that in a guy." He smiled to himself as he led her out and into Topanga's car. "Oh, you have a silver BMW? That's neat!" Morgan said as he opened the door for her. "No," he thought to himself, "but she'll never know that." "Why do you have a smiley face air freshener in your car?" She asked. "Umm.well.listen, this isn't my car, this is Topanga's." "Who's?" Morgan asked, close to laughing. "Topanga's." "That sounds like a freeway exit!" Morgan laughed. Okay, so it did. "It's Cory's wife. You've met him." "Yeah, I have. Well, he never mentioned her name. Topanga. Huh. Wonder what kind of family she came from." "Her sister was named Nebula Stop-the-War Lawrence. Until she got married, then I don't know what her last name was." Morgan laughed. Shawn turned on the car, and "Four Seasons" came on. Shawn at first was nervous, but Morgan gasped. "I love this! I know this! Four Seasons. I used to love classical music." "Really?" Shawn asked, amazed. She seemed to be his kind of girl. "Oh yeah!" she said. "But then I kind of moved on. You know, to bands like Good Charlotte or Simple Plan." Shawn nodded. "Oh," he said. Maybe they weren't as compatible as he thought. "Favorite candy on three. One, two, three!" "Snowcaps!" They said at the same time. "I'm assuming your favorite color is turquoise," Shawn said. Morgan laughed and nodded. "How long'd it take you?" Once they got to the restaurant, Morgan and Shawn ordered the exact same thing by coincidence. "So, you should seriously meet Topanga. She seems like your type." "Oh," Morgan said. "I guess we might have something in common besides a weird name." "Yeah well, I'm sure to Jedidah and Rhiannon, Morgan might not be the most normal name ever." "Who?" Morgan asked. "Jedidah and Rhiannon. Topanga's parents." Shawn explained. Morgan tried as hard as she could not to laugh. By the end of the date, Shawn had a great time. He wanted to see her again but was afraid that Morgan wouldn't want to. He dropped her off at her apartment and they said bye. As Morgan went into her apartment, she couldn't help but notice Shawn didn't kiss her. Funny, she thought to herself. Usually, a kiss would have been sufficient. Maybe he didn't like her.  
  
Cory heard a knock at the door. Topanga wasn't home, which you'll learn is a very good thing. He opened it. Morgan was standing there in a towel. "Hi," she said. "I locked myself out of my apartment again, can I wait here until the only guy with the key comes back?" "Oh no," Cory gasped. "What?" Morgan asked. "This happened to Eric." "Your brother," Morgan said. "Yeah, how'd you know?" Cory asked. Morgan laughed. "Cory, you told me practically everything over that three- hour coffee." They both laughed at that. Cory let Morgan in. The phone rang at that. "Can you get that?" Cory asked. "Sure," Morgan said. Funny how fate would have Morgan answer the phone. "Hello?" Morgan said. "Hi, this is Angela, who is this?" "This is, oh, this is Cory and Topanga's apartment. Sorry, I'm a visitor who happened to answer the phone. Are you Angela.Moore?" "Yeah, I am, who is this?" Angela asked. "Morgan Mendoza," Morgan said. "Do you remember me?" "Oh my gosh! Morgan! Of course I remember you! How's the art going?" Morgan smiled. "Not so great. I kinda stopped art to come to New York and design clothes." "Ah! I'm so jealous! Is Topanga there?" Angela asked. "Umm, no, wait, Cory, is Topanga here?" Morgan asked. Cory shook his head. "No, sorry," she said. "Can I take a message?" "Tell her Angela called, but what are you doing at Cory and Topanga's apartment?" Angela asked. That made Morgan wonder. What was she doing at Cory's apartment? She could have just gone anywhere else. What was the pull that made her go to Cory? Hmm. "Oh, well, Cory and I are friends." Morgan put into her simple words. "Yeah, well, okay," Angela said, unsure of what to say. Suddenly, Shawn came in. "Oh my God, Cory, you are in big trouble!" Shawn said. "Angela, listen, I think I hafta go." Shawn turned his attention to Morgan on the phone. "She's talking to Angela? Angela Moore?" Cory nodded. "Sh, I'm on the phone!" Morgan said jokingly. Shawn jumped for it, knocking Morgan out of the way. "Gimme that!" he grabbed the phone. "AngelaitsmeShawnHunter," he said fast. "What's the deal there?" Morgan asked Cory. "She's, um, his old girlfriend. She left for Europe and he never really kept in contact with her." "After all these years! That's so sad!" Morgan crooned. "Yeah, I know. I think he jumped at the chance." "Literally," Morgan said. They both smiled at each other. Morgan heard Shawn's laugh - which was fake yeah, but it was still cute in a "hee- hee-hee" way. Topanga came in then. "Cory, we have to talk," she said when she saw Morgan. "Hi, I'm Morgan Mendoza, I just moved in next door." She shook Topanga's hand. "Hi, I'm Topanga Matthews. Cory's wife." "He's talked a lot about you," Morgan said nodding. "Oh well then Cory never mind. Just why is Shawn in here talking on our phone and why is she in here wearing a towel?" "I locked myself out of my apartment. I should go back and see if it's unlocked now. Thanks, though." Morgan said, smiling. "Come back when you're dressed if you want," Topanga said. "Thanks, I will." Morgan said and left. "Bye," Shawn said wistfully to Angela as he hung up. "My life is great!" Shawn said. "I can't believe I forgot about Angela!" "You forgot about her? Shawn, who are you?" Topanga asked. "I haven't forgotten about her totally, just.I haven't remembered her all the way. She's coming to New York, you know. Here, to see me again. What should I do?" "You should go and meet her like a normal person would." Cory said. There was a knock at the door. Topanga answered it. It was Morgan - she looked nice, Cory thought. Nice. "Hi," Morgan said. "I just had to know what's up with Shawn and Angela! Shawn, are you going to meet her or what?" "How'd you know?" Shawn asked. "Well, I've had this unexplained ability to sort of know things before they happen." "Like a psychic." "No, not like a psychic." Morgan said. "Like a prediction or something. Premonitions. I don't know; it's confusing and hard to explain. I just seem to have a feeling that something'll happen. So are you going to meet her or what?" "I don't think so." "Let me guess. You're afraid that she's done more with her life than you have and you don't want to get rejected. It's a totally normal feeling." They all looked at her like she was crazy. "What, I studied psychology when I was in Europe. Multi-tasking. It's what I do." She smiled again. "So meet her, Shawn!" "I'm not going to meet her," Shawn said. "I'm.scared." "People are often afraid of the true love emotion. It's only normal. You don't feel it, it's not true love." Topanga dropped the pen she was holding. Morgan acted like she didn't notice. "Here. What I'll do is I'll come with you. Angela and I haven't seen each other in a year. Then once you feel comfortable I'll leave. Ooh, this is going to be fun!" "Wait, how'd you know he was going to want you to come?" Topanga asked. She was suspicious of this Morgan girl. Who was she and why was she in her apartment? And whose permission did she have to just come into their lives like that? She was going to ruin their lives. She could feel it. "Well, however it was, she's right," Shawn admitted. "Cool! Angela would love to go to that coffee shop Cory and I went to that one time. I know her. She'd love it. We should go." "What?" Topanga said, not believing what she heard. "Cory, can I talk to you in another room?" "No, I want to hear what Angela and Shawn and Morgan are doing." Cory said. "Sh, dear." "Cory," Topanga repeated through clenched teeth. "May. I. Talk. To. You. In. Another. Room." "Yes, dear." Cory said. Cory followed Topanga into their bedroom. "Where did you take her and why?" Topanga asked. "I took her to the coffee shop. That's it, Topanga, that's it!" "You only answered one of my questions, Cory, I want you to answer them all. Why?" "I met her, she was new in town, she didn't know any place, so I took her to a small little coffee shop. I ordered her a double latte with skim milk. We talked for three hours and that's it." "That's all." "That's all!" "Then why was she in her towel?" "For someone who gave up Yale for me, you certainly aren't very trusting." Topanga turned away. "I'm just a little scared that you're spending too much time with her." "So what? Do you want to split up or something?" "No, Cory, I don't, I just want to know that you love me. Look me in the eyes and tell me you love me." "I want you to do it first." Cory said. "What does that mean?" Topanga asked. "Topanga, you're gone all day everyday. How do I know you aren't meeting plenty of other guys? You never call me and you never tell me you're doing okay." "Oh, so now you're accusing me?" "I'm only questioning you like you're doing to me." "So now I'm questioning you?" "Yes, Topanga, you are!" Topanga knew what she had to do. She looked Cory in the eyes. "Yes, Cory. I love you." She took a step back. "Are you happy now?" "Yeah," Cory said. "Because I love you too." Topanga looked at him and smiled. "I just.I don't know. Morgan's really interesting. She's gone to Europe, and she's been in three commercials. She's painted before and now she's designing fashions for Veritaz." He made the exclamation point with his finger. "Veritaz?" Topanga made an exclamation point with her finger. "That's so cool! She's more interesting than me, isn't she?" "No," Cory said. "No one is more interesting than you." And with that, they walked out and smiled at each other. "Okay, Cory. I want your opinion. Should I take my car or Shawn's so we can go to that cute little coffee shop?" "Yours, definitely yours," Cory said. "You should come, Cory! You should come! And, Topanga, too, if she wants." Cory was about to say yes. He wanted to say yes. But he looked at Topanga who was looking up at him. "No, that's okay," Cory said. "I'll just leave this to you." They were totally oblivious of it, but as Morgan smiled at all three of them and they smiled back, none of them knew their lives were about to change forever. For the better or the worse - you decide. 


	3. The Meeting

Chapter 3  
  
All day, Morgan had been all alone, making friends with shadows on the wall. But the time had come to meet Shawn at his apartment, so she got ready and did. Nothing special - a dark blue shirt with jeans and a leather jacket. Her belt was her favorite part - a new one, leather with pink and blue rhinestones on it. She'd designed it, and loved her name on the label. Veritaz!, Morgan Mendoza. She smiled to herself. "Cool." She headed to Shawn's apartment, which wasn't far. "Hey," he said. "You ready?" she asked. "No, I've been thinking this through." "Shawn, come on. Whenever you think you know it's not a good thing." She pulled him by the wrist to her turquoise convertible. They drove to the coffee shop when they were meeting Angela. She had gotten there first, and the minute Morgan led Angela in, Shawn stopped at the sight of Angela sitting there. She was so beautiful, so.different. Too much for him to stand, he walked right out. Morgan followed. "Shawn what in the world are you doing?" she asked. "I'm giving Angela what she needs." "No, no, no. If you were giving Angela what she needs, you'd be in there talking to her. She's waiting for you!" "Do you really think I should?" "No, I just brought you here for the pure pleasure of it. Come on!" She couldn't stress it anymore. She pulled him inside and dragged him by the wrist to Angela's table. "Hi, Angela, it's me!" Morgan said. Angela got up and hugged Morgan. "It's been way too long!" "I know," Angela said. "Oh. Shawn. Hi." Shawn looked at Angela and Angela looked at Shawn. It didn't take them long - Shawn pulled her to him and they shared a long, passionate kiss. Morgan stood there, uncomfortable and aware that everyone was staring at them and her. No one thinks I should be here, Morgan thought. No one. They pulled back and looked at each other for a long time. "Sooo." Morgan said, unsure. "I'd leave but there's no way to get you home." "Oh, well, you can leave if you want. I'll take a taxi," Shawn said. "Okay, well, I don't think I'm needed." Morgan got up and left. She wasn't needed; her place was somewhere else far away from them. "So," Shawn said. "I guess we still love each other right?" Angela asked. "Don't know about you but I know how I feel," Shawn said. "Good," Angela said. "I hope it's the same way I feel." Shawn smiled. "Sorry I let you go." He said. "Sorry I didn't call." She apologized. "It's not your fault, it's mine." Shawn and Angela were falling in love all over again. "I.I missed you a lot," Shawn stuttered. "I bet I missed you more. Every single day I would fall asleep thinking that maybe one day we'd be together a day. I never thought we would be. I thought it would just be in our dreams." "Angela, I love you." "I love you too, Shawn." They must have been there for what seemed like eternity. If you had been watching, you seriously would have wondered when they were leaving. But, they weren't going to until awhile. As they got ready to leave, it started raining. As they looked at each other for one last time, Shawn put his arms around her waist and they shared a longer, more passionate kiss than the first. Standing there in the rain, not caring that in reality they were drenched, all that mattered to both of them was that here and now - they were back together. And that's more than the strongest thing in the world. 


	4. The LifeAltering Event

Near Christmas, New York was always rainy. No snow, just rain. Not that Morgan minded, however. Rain was her favorite weather. She always thought it was weird, but it was. Whenever she found out it was going to rain, she was always glad. It felt like it was going to rain soon, so Morgan hurried. She walked down the streets to Digital Hang Out, hoping to see someone she knew there. Luckily, she did. She saw Shawn. "Hey," she said, sitting down next to him. He looked up at her. "A- are you okay?" She stammered when she saw he was crying. "Shawn tell me are you okay what's the matter what happened?" She said fast, getting nervous. "Shawn, don't cry tell me what's the matter!" Whenever people started crying Morgan got nervous, like she was going to cry herself. She often started talking fast when this happened, and this time was no exception. "Angela has cancer," he managed. "Cancer?" Morgan repeated. The sentence played over and over again in her head. Cancer, cancer, cancer, cancer, cancer. It was like she was schizophrenic. "Well I have a friend that's an RN! I'll talk to her and see what's the matter, uh, maybe it won't be that bad!" Morgan said. Her only friend left was an RN, and she hadn't talked to her in years. Okay, maybe just weeks - but whatever. "Shawn," she said, calming down, "it'll be okay. I mean what with the technology they have these days, they can save just about anyone from anything!" she said. It was like she was telling herself, though. She was trying to convince herself. "Anything," she murmured. Anything but car crashes, she thought to herself. "Morgan don't you see the seriousness of this? Angela's dying and I don't even know how to tell her that I love her." "You didn't seem to have a problem earlier. Sorry, trying to lighten up a tense moment. Shawn, it'll be okay you won't have to worry about that! Shawn, don't cry, please don't cry you'll make ME start crying!" Cancer was a zodiac sign. But this was more serious than a stupid horoscope that wasn't even real. This was real and even though Morgan didn't want to believe it, another one of her friends was dying and there was nothing she could do. As she walked home in the rain she looked up at the sky. "Is this punishment for lying?" Morgan screamed. "Why'd you do this to me?" People stopped and stared, but who really cared, anyway. They didn't understand and she didn't exactly care to mention to fifty thousand people that her friend was dying.  
  
I'm talking to myself in public, dodging glances on the train and I know they've all been talking about me, I can hear them whisper.Matchbox 20's "Unwell" kept playing in Morgan's head. It felt like her right now - with every new line another voice pounded in her head "Cancer. Cancer." She picked up the phone and dialed Cassidy's number. "Hello, this is Cassidy Malone," the answerer said. "Hi, Cass? It's me, Morgan." After a quick reunion Morgan explained. "My friend Angela Moore - she has cancer. The minute the doctors know, you know. What do you know about Angela?" Cassidy explained in normal vocabulary what was wrong with Angela. It was ovarian cancer - and it was malignant. We both knew what that meant - Angela wasn't going to survive. Ovarian cancer. How was she supposed to explain that to Shawn? Embarrassing it seemed but what the heck. She'd do it anyway. They'd both watched the video on Sex Ed in seventh grade. "Thanks, and by the way, let's get together this weekend," Morgan suggested. "Sure, we'll hang out someplace. Thanks for calling!" And they hung up. Ovarian cancer. Who knew what would happen?  
  
"Did you talk to your friend yet?" Shawn asked. Morgan and Shawn were eating lunch at the Digital Hang Out, talking quietly. Avoiding the glances of those who recognized them from the kiss scene a week ago. Oh yeah, they said it was.malignant. It was either tell him the truth or lie to Shawn, but she couldn't lie about something serious like this and not get caught. Heck, she couldn't lie at all. "Yeah, I did," Morgan admitted. "What'd she say?" Shawn asked. Tell the truth, no lie, no tell the truth, no make up some story and when he asks say you didn't know. "They said it was ovarian cancer. They said it was.malignant." He nodded. "Malignant, huh. That might not be too bad." Okay, he was making this hard for her. Shawn and Morgan both knew that malignant means there was light chance for survival, and he was waiting for her to say it wouldn't be too bad. "I don't know. Just because they say it can spread fast, doesn't mean it will. We'll just have to wait and see."  
  
They wanted to see Angela but couldn't. Shawn didn't want to for one thing, and visiting hours were hard to make with work and all. "Cory," Shawn and Morgan said when he talked to Cory about it. "What am I supposed to do? Angela's known and she didn't tell me!" "Well it looks like there's only one thing we can do, Shawn. We just wait and pray and hope that it'll turn out for the best. Besides, Morgan knows the RN. There's gotta be a way that it'll work out. She's got connections." Connections, Morgan thought. You've got to be kidding me. You're saying that because I know an RN it means Angela will survive. Please. But then again, Shawn and Angela's love for each other was strong. And if there was one thing Morgan believed in, it was love. She believed love could save anything and anybody and no matter how madly in love you were, it didn't matter 'cause if you were supposed to be together, you would be. Gotta be a way. There's gotta be some way it'll work. Topanga didn't provide much help, either. "Listen, Morgan, we both know that ovarian cancer spreads fast. If there's any chance of survival at all, it would've happened already. She was admitted too late." "Topanga, hush!" Cory said. "You're not helping any." Topanga sighed. "I'm sorry Cory but I'm not going to fool anyone. We both know that I have to tell the truth." "Yeah, but Topanga, come on. You have to know when to draw the line. You're just like Simon." Morgan said. Everyone knew Morgan was colorful - but no one knew she got into reality shows like American Idol. "No way," Topanga said, but they both knew it was true. "Brutal honesty, that's your way. And Topanga we all know what'll happen but just don't make Shawn face it. He can only face it when he's absolutely ready. Trust me, I'd know." They wondered what she meant by that, but who cared. Really, who did? All anyone cared about was Angela. When they finally did get to go see her, only Morgan and Shawn were allowed. Cory and Topanga didn't mind, though. None of them thought they could stand it. Morgan stayed in there talking to Cassidy. "Is she going to be okay?" Morgan asked. "We're not sure. The cancer spread everywhere - the fallopian tubes, the ovaries, the womb, everywhere. Even with chemo we don't think we can get it out. We're going to try, but we don't know. Morgan look. Life's tough and it's not fair. Angela's a great person and she doesn't deserve to die like this. But.life's a tough job. No matter what you have to get used to it. You know already." "Yeah, I just don't know if I can stand to see another person die. I already had to deal with six." "Six?" "Cindy, Lucy, Katrina were the ones in the car crash. My parents and Laura died in the fire." "Laura was your sister." "She still is, isn't she? She's simply not here to use the title." "Good point. Well, good luck. And if she lives, it'll be a true miracle." With that, Cassidy exited. A miracle, Morgan thought. We need more than a miracle.  
  
Shawn just stared at Angela. She looked fine - no problems. But inside there were problems. Big ones. When Cassidy finally left, Shawn told Morgan to go first. Talking to someone asleep seemed stupid but Shawn insisted on it. "Angela, you're a great person. You don't deserve this but then again no one deserves cancer, they don't deserve to die. No one deserves what they get in this world. Some deserve more some deserve less. You don't deserve this. But life's not fair, and I'm not here to tell you that cause Lord knows you already know. But lots of people are counting on you to live. I know it seems hard at times but.then again.maybe you can make it. If you try, so do try. I know you'll make a lot of people happy." Shawn seemed satisfied, so he started talking. Morgan crossed her arms and leaned up against the wall. "I know you can't see me," Shawn started. "But I know you can hear me. And you may not want to talk right now but you can just listen. I need you, Angela. I thought I didn't but I was wrong. I need you to be in my life and if you just leave like that I don't know what I'll do. You meant a lot to us, Angela, but you're not done yet. You haven't finished living your life and you need to help me live mine. I couldn't be the person I am today without you. I mean you look at me before I met you; I was a mess! I need you to help me. Even if you leave, I'll still remember you. But I don't want memories. I never wanted memories, Angela. I only wanted you. So don't leave yet. Don't leave me here alone without anyone to help me. I can't love another person like I loved you. If you leave me - God knows what I'll do. So don't leave me, okay? I can't take that. So yeah, that's what I wanted to tell you. Finish your life with me. Help me. I love you, Angela." And he left and waited outside for Morgan. Maybe it was her imagination, maybe it was a daydream, or maybe it was reality. It could've been the voices Morgan heard at night, when she was all alone. It could have been what she had wanted to hear, what she was dying to hear, what she and Shawn and even Cory, Topanga, and Cassidy wanted her to say because if she said it, it would have been the first sign that Angela might live. Of course, what we want to hear is often quite different from what we really hear. Morgan could've heard nothing that was for sure. She seemed to be quite good at hearing nothing yet saying she heard something. If you had been watching that day, you would have heard it too particularly because you wanted to maybe but also because she might have said it. I wasn't there; I didn't hear it. I'm merely writing down the words of the truth and what really happened as I've been told and as my evidence Morgan's journal that she kept at the time. Now please let me explain what I mean by this. Morgan could have very well heard nothing at all, just the voices inside her head and her imagination. It could have been anxiety over the fact that she was new in New York and didn't know anyone but five people out of the millions there were and she transferred it to the anxiety she had about Angela and her cancer. You've probably, even if you are sane, you've probably thought you heard someone say something. It could've been a sentence, or just calling your name. However, when you turned around to see who said it, there was either no one there or that person had obviously not said anything. This happened to Morgan. She was looking at Angela. Her body didn't move, she remained motionless in the obviously uncomfortable hospital bed and nightgown that she was forced to sleep in and wear. It could have also been the fact that she had absolutely no idea what she wanted - did she want Angela to live or die so that Shawn might like Morgan? No way she was just kidding with herself. She didn't like Shawn. Maybe it was Morgan's imagination, maybe it was reality that Morgan heard. But whatever it was, Morgan swore up and down she heard Angela say, "I love you too, Shawn." 


	5. The Truth Comes Out

Looked like Morgan was going to be spending Christmas alone, but then again, it was like she'd done every year since she was eighteen. Or maybe she'd spend it in the hospital, for Angela. Of course then again, Cory and Topanga had offered she spend Christmas with them. I guess that wouldn't be so bad, she thought. They're nice people. I'm not exactly one of their favorites, but they're nice people. So she accepted the invitation since there was nothing else to do and admitting that another Christmas on her own would be the most embarrassing thing ever. So now she had to get presents for people. "Top five bad things about Christmas," Morgan said to herself as she sat at the table with a pencil and paper titled 'Christmas Presents'. "One. You either spend your money, or spend Christmas alone." And she had hardly enough money to spend, so how could she buy presents for Cory, Topanga, Angela, Shawn, and Cassidy? "Two," she said, "You're forced to make some kind of dish instead of ordering Chinese takeout and eating day old pang Tai sushi noodles." Well, that was true. "Three," she continued, "the people you're forced to interact with may not exactly like you but are forced to pretend like they enjoyed your company then scream with joy when you leave." That was true also. "Four," she said trying to think of sucky things for this Christmas. "If you're a fashion designer for a major label yet they're only paying you minimum wage, you have absolutely no money for the wonderful presents these people who've taken you in deserve." That certainly related to Morgan. "And lastly but most certainly not least," she said solemnly. "The thing you know someone wants for Christmas is something you can't get them, not because it's too expensive but because money can't buy it." She knew Shawn wanted Angela to live for Christmas - but what if she didn't? She felt it was her responsibility to keep Angela alive because after all, she was the one who had the RN best friend. She made a crappy list but it was better than just nothing. So she stuck the list in her purse and got into her turquoise convertible to go Christmas shopping.  
  
Everyone knows it's impractical to have a car in the city. Everyone knows that those few people who do have cars are stared at when they're driving places. And if you're being stared at, whether your driving or not, you still get in a bad mood. Well, everyone included Morgan but she loved her turquoise convertible so much there was no way she was selling it. Besides, who would buy it here in the city? They stare at you and you feel crappy. No doubt about it. Well today was no exception. Traffic was awful and some stupid taxi in front of her had just broken down. Since everyone was staring at her wondering why she had a car, she felt so miserable. So instead of taking the left turn for shopping, she took the right turn for the hospital. She must have sat next to Angela's bed for more than two hours. However long isn't positive. I most certainly hope that the sources I have are reliable because the unreliable ones say she sat there all day. But it's stupid to waste a day, even for a sick person. When she finally did leave, however, Cassidy came in. "Oh, good, you're here. Listen, Morgan. They tried to get it out. They did a surprisingly good job without chemo. They're going to use chemo and see if they can get the small amount left out. It's pretty cool. She might live. You might have her home for Christmas." And as she left, "She might live" pounded in her head. She drove faster this time. Wait until she told Shawn.  
  
"Shawn, Cassidy's a certified RN, don't you think she knows this stuff?" Morgan asked. "Morgan her nametag says Staff she doesn't even know her own name!" "Oh, please," Cory said. "Eric made that mistake. Shawn's too smart to do that." Topanga rolled her eyes. "Morgan just because Miss Staff says she might live doesn't mean she will." "Just because they said they wouldn't get it all out, doesn't mean they won't," Morgan told him. "What?" Shawn asked. "They got most of it out without chemo. They're trying chemo and they're seeing if they can do it," Morgan explained. "There's only a small amount left but it's not exactly going to be the easiest thing in the world. So.the chances she'll live are higher." This made Shawn unbelievably happy. Shawn smiled which made Morgan smile, and when Morgan smiles, no one can frown anymore. So when Morgan looked at Cory and Topanga, they immediately smiled. Funny how just one stupid smile can make everyone feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  
  
So the news piled in little by little. They were starting it tomorrow. She wouldn't be home in time for Christmas but possibly in January sometime. The chances that patient Angela Moore would live were getting higher with each minute. "I don't know," Shawn said. "I'm scared. I mean what if it comes back? I don't want to lose her." "You won't lose her," Morgan said. All four of them were at a booth in the Digital Hang Out. "You'll just.if it comes back and she doesn't make it then.you'll always remember her." "I don't want memories, Morgan." Shawn reminded her. "We don't always get what we want, do we?" Morgan retorted. Whenever people talked about how they didn't want death, it always made Morgan mad. No one wants death. Nobody. But we get it, just like we get to vote and we get to drive and we get what we want at times. And if someone they knew was dying, at least they weren't dead yet, like six of the most important people in Morgan's life. "What are you saying, you want Angela dead?" Shawn asked. "No, Shawn, I'm saying, I lost six of the most important people. Do you really think I can relate to you? All of my six important people died. No one could have saved them. Don't ask me how I survived, but I survived. And you know, here you are talking about what you don't want. Nobody wants death; no one wants people they love to die. But they get it, and even if they don't deserve it, they do. What, do you think the people who set the bomb of at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church got what they deserved? No, they were convicted forty years later or whatever! It's not fair, Shawn, it isn't. Everyone knows it's not fair, and it's not but what's fair is the fact that you have a chance that Angela will live. Me, I didn't. My parents and my little sister died in a fire. I don't know how I got out but I did. My friends died before that in a car crash. I had a dislocated shoulder and a broken jaw and that was it. So do you think it was fair that six of the most important people in my life died? No, it's not. But I got over it. And if Angela lives, you won't ever have to experience that. You won't know. I hope you don't experience it but - whatever. You don't get it." What Shawn said next surprised Morgan. "You're right," he said softly. "I don't know. And I hope I never will. But I hope everything turns out all right and that whatever it is that's bothering you comes through for you. I know how it must feel to lose." "How?" Morgan asked. "How do you know? You don't know!" Shawn sighed. "Yeah, I do," he said. "My dad died from a heart attack and I didn't even get to tell him that I loved him. What kills me is that I was always talking bad about him. It might've been true, but." Shawn's voice trailed off. "I'm so sorry," she said sympathetically. "I really am." That next moment Cassidy walked in the door with a solemn look on her face - one that implied something bad was about to happen. 


	6. Shawn's Miracle

"Cassidy, what's wrong?" Morgan asked as she got up to greet Cassidy. "Oh, well, I might as well tell you all so I don't have to repeat it again." Now I would like to stall as long as possible, in order to keep you waiting and reading. I love to dangle that little string of hope in front of your faces and yank it away from you right before you like to grab it. But, since this is chapter six in Morgan's life and chapters usually don't include on sentence, I'm going to have to get on with the fact that Cassidy is about to tell the condition of Angela to desperate and eager Morgan, Cory, Topanga, and Shawn. What she's about to tell them is going to change their lives forever. Cassidy and Morgan sat back down at the table. "Look, you know that they tried to do chemo to get what was left out," Cassidy said slowly. Cory, Topanga, Shawn, and Morgan - like you, the readers - were watching Cassidy. Cassidy was, like me the writer, dangling a string of hope in front of them. They were watching her every move, her every word. They were hanging on very strongly. "And that, even though it was a small bit, they were sure it would work," Cassidy continued. "Hurry it up, girlfriend, we ain't got all day!" Morgan said, laughing. "Well, it looks like we got it all out. She won't be home for Christmas but she will be home shortly after, possibly sometime in January at the latest." "Are you serious?" Shawn asked. "You're not just trying to cover up the fact that she really died and my entire life is over?" "Oh no Shawn. I don't do that. It's too disappointing to watch their happy smiling faces and then me tell them the truth and they start crying. Plus, I'd lose my job and any other job plays jack. Well, gotta go. Congratulations, Shawn. I'm sure you're thrilled." Cassidy got up and exited. They all were thrilled. Knowing that Angela survived was pretty awesome, Morgan thought. "So, since she's surviving, I'm thinking you oughta pop the question that ties the knot," Morgan said. "Oh, I don't know. I just can't see me actually getting married to someone you know?" Shawn asked. For some reason, this made Morgan - shall I say, forceful? She jumped up and put her hands around Shawn's throat like she was going to strangle him. "You will propose to Angela! Now!" "Down girl, down," Topanga said. "Don't kill him. Besides, you can't force someone to get married. It's a big step. Not to be taken lightly." "Oh, please! You have to be kidding me. I mean, seriously. Just don't have kids until you're sure that you are going to spend the rest of your lives together. That way, if you want a divorce, no custody to worry about. At least, not for people, anyway." "It's not that easy in the real world, Morgan," Topanga calmly explained. "What do you guys know? You can't talk. You've been in love your entire lives. I, however, am the resident adult romance specialist. I'm trained," she said proudly. "I thought you were a fashion designer," Cory corrected. "Yeah, well, I studied psychology when I was in Europe, too. So sue me. Listen," Morgan said. "What you'll have to do is simple. Can you see yourself committing to Angela your entire life?" "Yeah," he said. "Then why not? I mean it's not like killing yourself, where you can't go back and cancel it. Di-vorce, di-vorce!" she said, emphasizing the "di" making it sound like "dee". "What with today's technology, you can do just about anything," she continued. "You can practically get married over the Internet, if you wanted." "But then you wouldn't get to hear the cool music!" Cory said. Everyone looked at him like he was crazy. "I'm not saying you're gonna get married over the Internet. I'm not saying you even have to get married. But I think you should at least think about it. Ya know, sleep on it. Make sure that you're absolutely sure you're not going to get married. It'll haunt you for the rest of your life if you don't." "Why does everything have to haunt us for the rest of our life?" Topanga asked. "Well, Morgan, it's not like I don't want to. I do, I really do. But then again, I'm still young and I'm living my life." "You're twenty-two. That ship has sailed," Morgan exclaimed. "Fine. If you really want me too, I'll sleep on it. I'll think about it. And I'll tell you in three days." Three days meant Christmas Eve, when they were supposed to spend time together.  
  
So exactly three days later, Morgan, Cory, and Topanga were all in the Matthews's apartment (which looked strangely like Eric, Jack, and Rachel's did when they were in college). Cory was in the middle and Morgan and Topanga were all on either side of him on the couch. Shawn stood up to announce his decision. "I've made a decision," he said. Morgan jumped up and grabbed his arm. "Ooh! That's so sweet! You're going to do it! Oh, that's so sweet! And please don't drag it out, like Mr. and Mrs. We've-Been-In-Love-Our-Entire- Lives here did." Cory must've told her that, too, Shawn guessed. "How'd you know about the decision?" "I thought I told you already!" she said impatiently. "I'm the resident adult romance specialist. So, do you have the ring?" "I'm not going to ask her," Shawn said. "I'm just not. I don't think it's the right thing to do." "Denial, denial, denial," Morgan clucked disapprovingly. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Shawn. You'll never get anywhere in life if you deny things." There was a knock at the door. Angela was standing there when Morgan opened it. "Angela! I thought they said you wouldn't be home for Christmas! Wait, this is too short of a time for you to come home. Do you see her too?" Morgan asked Shawn. "No, actually, it's been the amount of time. What, did Cassidy just tell you guys or something?" Angela laughed. So Angela, Cory, Topanga, Shawn, and Morgan had a great Christmas Eve. But for some reason, Shawn and Angela couldn't sleep. So at 3 am, they wound up both in the Matthews' living room, with the light of the Christmas tree that Cory had forgotten to turn off both shining brightly. "What are you doing here?" They asked at the same time. "Couldn't sleep," they both replied at the same time. "Glad you made it," Shawn said. "Me too," Angela said. And maybe it was the tree making Angela look really beautiful, even though she was just wearing jeans (she hadn't changed out of her clothes) and a t-shirt. Or maybe it was the time of night, when at 3 am, the most magical hour at night, the hour that makes people do out-of-the-ordinary things. But whatever it was, Shawn didn't think. It didn't matter, though, because anything that he said in the next few lines until the line break is totally, totally true. It didn't matter what Shawn said because he meant it. And it didn't matter that he didn't think. Nor did it matter what Angela said or that she didn't think because if she had thought, she would have said the exact same thing. So no matter whether or not they had thought about what they said, they would have said the exact same thing because it wasn't their minds speaking. It was their hearts. "Angela, I've done some really, really stupid stuff over the past few years. But.I think.I think I can fix that." Okay, he thought about that. Because of the "I think" part. But this next part, he didn't think, which is why there are no spaces. "Willyoumarryme?" he asked very, very fast. "Yes," Angela said. Okay, now here's where they started thinking.  
  
"Oh, my, gosh, what did I just say? How am I supposed to do this now? I mean I want to get married and now that it's all in the open I guess it's okay, but I mean, what the heck. Oh, okay, here we go now. I don't even have a ring or anything. What's Morgan going to say? She'll think I lied to her." That's an example of Shawn's current thoughts. Angela's however went like this. "Should I have said yes? Or should I have said no, I need time to think. But what if the cancer comes back? I don't want to.I really don't want to die before, you know, before it's necessary. I'm doing it, I'm going to get married and if I die from cancer again then I will, but at least I'll have completed my life's worth." Well, maybe Angela's life's worth wasn't getting married to Shawn. But what the heck, you know? They were young despite what Morgan said.  
  
So even if it was the time of night, it didn't matter. Even to Morgan, who also couldn't sleep and happened to be listening and watching when The Event happened. But the truth was, something was finally happening between Shawn and Angela, after all those years. Angela's survival really was a miracle - what they had needed. It showed them all never to give up hope in anything. But it only meant bigger than imaginable to one person, and that was Shawn. Angela was Shawn's miracle. And nothing, nothing made Morgan happier. Until, of course, Christmas day, when she got the call the same call that would change her life forever. 


	7. The Decision and The End

"I can't believe you did it," Morgan said as she and Shawn walked down the streets to Digital Hang Out. "Neither can I," Shawn admitted. "You two make the cutest couple! I'm sure everyone will be glad once they find out." "Who's everyone?" Shawn asked. "Oh, well, you know. People. Other people. Same difference you know, right? Hee, hee, hee. Anyway, are you thinking of maybe.inviting me to the wedding?" She asked timidly. "Girl, please. You helped me. But I don't know if I think I should do it. I mean, yeah I asked. But I didn't.I wasn't.I don't." he tried to explain it but couldn't. "I know," she said sympathetically. "You're not sure if you're ready even though you and Angela are the cutest couple on the face of the planet. And so you've decided to postpone the wedding or whatever." She stopped and looked at him. "Listen, there are two kinds of people in this world. There are those people who watch Happy Days Marathons and sing in the shower. And then there are those people who lie alone in bed at night with tears in their eyes because they missed out on a huge part of their life. You don't want to be the second kind of person, Shawn. Otherwise, you'll be the Jan Brady to all the Marcia's of the world." She turned to leave. "Morgan, wait," Shawn said. "Yeah?" she asked. "Ummm.well.I just wanted to tell you that." He sighed. "You give great advice." She smiled. "Thanks, and don't forget about what I said." "Watch Happy Days when I get home. Thanks." She laughed to herself and waved, and watched him turn into the Digital. She drove home in her turquoise convertible and when she got upstairs, she checked her phone messages. There was only one. That was funny; usually someone else was calling for something. "Hello, this is the Veritaz Clothing Agency. We are calling to inform you that a Morgan Mendoza is being transferred to Los Angeles, California. Please arrive at your office immediately so that we may inform you about your transfer. Thank you." She played it three times and it still said the same thing.  
  
A few hours later, as she was driving home from the office, she thought about what they'd said. She'd been there for roughly two months, and now she was supposed to move out? This was seriously illegal practically. It should be against the law to not transfer people unless they've been living in their current residence for over three years. Three, because it was her favorite number, and also because she wanted two more years and a few months with Cory, and Topanga, and Shawn, and Angela. She was going to leave before the wedding. She wouldn't be able to see Shawn and Angela live out their dream. She wouldn't get to see how well they'd turn out, or anything. Instead, she'd walk out of their lives without a word. No, there would be words, she decided. There would be lots of them. The words would all lead up to the two most horrible words in the human language (besides "we have to talk", which is four words so it doesn't qualify). The words were good-bye, and she didn't want to have to say them anymore than you would have. Over the weeks she had grown to love Cory, Topanga, Shawn, and Angela like they were her older brothers and sisters. When she was with them, she felt like it was where she was supposed to be. Like after all these years, she'd finally found a friend that cared about her as much as Tiffany, Cindy, and Lucy did before the car crash. But Cory, Topanga, Shawn, and Angela hadn't been in a car crash, at least not one that Morgan knew of, and even if they had been in one, they weren't dead yet. "I'm not moving," she told her boss. She'd been known to be level- headed in times of panic, strong-headed in times when quick decisions were made, and she often stuck to her decisions, too. "We're getting a new intern," her boss said. "You can go to L.A. to design clothes for movie stars, or just stay here all your life." "The clothing designers never get any publicity unless you have the money to buy their clothes," she told him. "Why am I going to do something and have it just blown away? Known as 'that dress Halle Berry wore' or something. I don't want that. I like where I am now. I love New York." "I'm sorry, Ms. Mendoza, I don't have a choice," her boss told her. "You can either go or we fire you." "I'd rather get fired," she said, "then have to leave." That may have been true, but she still couldn't afford to lose her job. "Why don't you want to leave, Morgan? Is it because you're afraid you won't be successful? Morgan, I wouldn't send you there if I didn't think you would be successful." "It's not that it's just, I've gotten so used to the people at Vista View and friends are really, really important to me. Plus, two of my friends are getting married." "Well if you want, you can stay here until their weddings. When are they?" Her boss asked, opening his date book. "No, no, no, you don't understand, they're getting married to each other," she explained. "Okay," he said. "Then when is it?" "It'll be in February," she said. "February 14th." He gasped. "I'm sorry, Morgan, I didn't realize it would be that late. You'll have already started designing clothes for.Jennifer Aniston by then." "Who cares about Jennifer Aniston when my friend is getting married and I can't even be there!" Morgan practically shouted. "Morgan, Morgan, no need to shout. You might also have the chance to do Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow, if you wanted." "I don't want to design clothes for the Friends cast, I WANT TO BE THERE FOR MY FRIEND'S WEDDING!" she yelled. "Morgan, if you're going to yell, I'll have to ask you to leave." She took a breath. She knew what she was going to do. "Fine," she said. "I'll show myself out, then."  
  
While designing clothes for Lisa Kudrow and Jennifer Aniston really was cool, and especially Halle Berry, she didn't think she exactly appreciated having to leave New York. What with technology and everything, couldn't she design it there and then just ship it off to Los Angeles? Yeah, that sounded all right. But she'd yelled at her boss. If she hadn't had such talent she would've been fired, but Veritaz couldn't afford to lose any employees. Especially ones with such talent as Morgan, there was no way Veritaz could survive. Okay, she felt a little better about herself. Even though she didn't believe she had that much talent, telling herself so made her feel a lot better until she realized that there was so much better people out there, so much older with so much more experience. She'd reached Vista View by now. How was she going to tell Cory and Topanga? Shawn and Angela would just die if they knew she wouldn't make it. Angela had told her so in those exact words - We would just die if we knew you couldn't make it! "There's nothing I can do about that, Angela," she said to herself as she opened her apartment door. And no, there was no surprise going-away party when she opened it. There was absolutely nothing but the normal formation of the furniture. She lay down on her bed. There were two things to do. One, go to L.A. and design for the movie stars. Possibly be famous, if she was good enough. Or two, stay here with my friends. There was a knock at the door and she got up to answer it. Cory and Topanga were standing there. "The way I see it," Topanga said when Morgan answered the door, "is you either go to L.A. and take a risk, or two, you stay here and play it safe all the rest of your life." Morgan let them in. "But what if I don't make it? What if I become one of those washed up, unwanted wanna-be big-time five-star fashion designers?" Cory smiled. "Then I will see this little girl who took a risk. Who stepped out of her little box and decided today's the day she's going to make it for herself. And even though she didn't make it, she tried. She danced the dance. And there's a good chance I will love you even more." Cory hugged Morgan. "How did you guys know?" she asked them. "How'd you know that I could either leave for L.A. or stay here, in New York?" "Shawn told us," Topanga told her. That's right - she remembered telling Shawn when he called on her cell phone. "It's okay to be afraid sometimes," Topanga continued. "But when you don't do something because you're afraid, that's when it's not okay." Morgan was starting to cry now. "So what do you think I should do?" she asked. "Go to L.A.?" "Yeah," Topanga said. "If that's what you want." Cory nodded sadly. "Well.I guess I should start packing then, huh." Topanga nodded and left, but Cory was still standing there. "If you don't want to leave, that's okay with me," Cory said. "I don't," Morgan told him. "But I don't have any other choice. I have to go." Morgan didn't have to say anymore. Cory understood. He left, leaving Morgan all alone in the now blurry apartment she had been thrilled to move to. Hoping this would be the last move, she decided to call her boss and tell him she'd make the move. She thought the last time she'd move was in Phoenix. But then they moved her to Seattle, then to Philadelphia. She was born in Washington, DC, but she had to move to Seattle when she was 11. Then, they told her to go to Philadelphia. After Pennbrook she'd moved to New York. And she thought she wouldn't have to move. If she kept moving like this, there was an awfully good chance that she'd make it around the entire country.  
  
Unbelievably, it didn't seem hard to pack. It took them two weeks, but it wasn't hard. Shawn, Angela, Cory, and Topanga all helped her, but it wasn't like that sped up the process. It was hard time-wise, but emotionally, it wasn't hard at all. She hadn't lived there long, so maybe that was why. Or at least, that's what she guessed. Friends last forever, even if you have to move on. Morgan knew she would keep in touch with Shawn and Angela and Cassidy and Topanga and especially Cory, but they wouldn't be close friends. Still, they were friends, and they'd taught her a lesson - true love doesn't show mercy, but it's stronger than anything - and if you believe in it and you believe it's all going to be okay, it will be. On the day Morgan left, everyone came but Cassidy. They all joined her in the parking lot next to her turquoise convertible. The moving trucks had already taken her furniture away, but they hadn't taken Morgan yet. "I'll never forget you guys," Morgan said. She started at Shawn first. "You taught me that if you just keep believing it will be okay, it will be," she said through tears. "And if you believe that you love someone, you really, really do." Next was Angela. "You showed me that even in the times when you needed a miracle, miracles happen if you believe they can." She hugged Angela and moved on to Topanga. "I didn't really know you," she admitted, "but from what Cory told me about you, you're a great person. You helped me when I wasn't sure what to do. Thanks." "Remember," Topanga said. "You don't want to be the Jan Brady to all the Marcia's of the world." Morgan laughed through tears and hugged Topanga. "Cory," Morgan said when she got to him. "You.you accepted me when I first came here. You taught me how to be a better person in a three-hour coffee. I'm going to do some good in this world, and I blame you for that." She hugged him. "There are two kinds of people in this world, Morgan. Those people who watched Happy Days marathons and sing in the shower, and those who lie in bed at night with tears in their eyes." Cory told her. She laughed and then he kissed her. It wasn't a peck; it was longer than that. But it only meant that they'd be friends forever. He loved her; she loved him - as friends. Maybe it was destiny, maybe it was fate, but whoever decided they would kiss, was most certainly ahead of His time. They laughed, they reminisced, they cried, they complained, they whined even. But they all knew that someday Morgan would come back. But that's a different story. And the first thing Morgan did when she got to her house in L.A. was watch a Happy Days marathon, and in the evening, she sang louder than ever in the shower. 


End file.
